


The Mickotaur

by LoopyDice



Series: Flashwave Week 2017 [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Barry Gets Manhandled and Threatened with Pointy Objects, Barry Messes Up Iris' Plans, Discussions of Cannibalism, Gen, I Butcher the Myth, Labyrinth - Freeform, M/M, Minotaur - Freeform, Misunderstandings, Mythology References, Secret Smuggling Rings, Sort Of, princess carry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-21 00:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11932701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoopyDice/pseuds/LoopyDice
Summary: When Eddie is chosen as a sacrifice to the Minotaur, Barry knows what he must do. By taking Eddie's place, Barry must venture into the Labyrinth and face certain death in an attempt to slay the beast. But all is not as it seems.





	The Mickotaur

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing. I always wanted to try my hand at mythology AUs, but I started writing this with no internet. Which means little to no research for the first half of this! Yikes! Also, there is no historical accuracy to be found here. None whatsoever.

Surrounded by dark damp moss covered bricks and deep impenetrable shadows, Barry clutched tightly to the twine of golden thread, reassured by its soft light. What was he doing here? He couldn't take on a Minotaur! Why'd he let Jay talk him into this? Iris had told him not to, she really had! If only he'd listened to her instead of Jay! Then he wouldn't be in this mess! Oh, but what else could he do?! The king had chosen Eddie as a sacrifice! But Jay was right, this really was the best option. If he succeeded, then no one would be sacrificed ever again and, if he failed, well... at least Iris would still have Eddie.

Iris had been furious that he'd gone to the king behind her back and offered himself in Eddie's place. Eddie had been horrified. Barry had felt so bad about it that he'd avoided them for almost the whole week he'd spent preparing to face the Minotaur.

For that time, he only let Jay hang around offer him advice, while he'd dug through archives and great libraries, hunting for any scrap of information. Nothing he found was usable. If it wasn't for Jay remembering that he'd heard fire was the Minotaur's weakness, Barry might've pulled his hair out. Barry had packed an unlit torch and a flint and steel.

Barry saw Iris and Eddie again the night before he entered the labyrinth. Iris had forced her way into the archives and dragged him out. She'd brought him to her and Eddie's place. They'd stayed with him the whole night. He hadn't been able to stop crying. 

Morning came, as did the king's soldiers who'd escorted him to the Labyrinth with no weapons but a stubby little short sword. And maybe, if Jay was right, fire. Jay had been there, at the last moment. He'd slipped the golden twine into his hands while whispering good luck into his ear. Barry'd been so grateful, he'd almost started crying again.

A distant clatter made Barry jump. The sound echoed strangely through the dark tunnels so that it was impossible to pinpoint. He spun around, his twine held out in front him like a shield. His eyes strained at the shadows on either side of him. He was so exposed in his tiny circle of light, surrounded by the looming darkness, barely able to see a foot in front of him.

He listened closely as the clattering grew louder, resolving itself into the clopping sound of hooves on stone.

Barry whimpered and, after hooking the twine to his belt, pulled out his sword. He brandished it at the shivering shadows that cloaked the Minotaur's approach.

"S-show yourself!" Barry foolishly called out, his words echoing through the halls, revealing himself better than his little light ever could.

The lumbering steps drew closer and closer, until a cloven hoof stepped into Barry's faint pool of light. Slowly revealed were hairy legs, a deathly pale human torso and a massive bull's head with beady black eyes. The wicked curved horns atop its head nearly brushed the ceiling. In its hands was a long sharp iron tipped spear.

Barry squeaked and clutched his small sword more tightly. A part of him was shrieking to run as fast as he could, away from the beast, out of the labyrinth, perhaps even away from Crete itself.

"Here to kill me, hero!" bellowed the Minotaur, its voice a deep menacing rumble, like the sound of a cave in.

Barry could not find his voice. Instead he swung his sword sloppily at the monster, who blocked the slash and proceeded to twist the sword out of his hands.  
It fell to the ground with the ringing sound of metal on stone. Barry had the point of a spear pressed to his throat.

The beast laughed. "That was pathetic! And here I thought the king actually bought himself a Hero!"

"I-" Barry choked on his words. He swallowed around the lump in his throat and tried again. "I may not be a Hero, but I will stop you! You will never devour another innocent!"

The Minotaur threw its head back and laughed. The spear wobbled, scraping against the skin of Barry's throat. The smell of blood cut through the mustiness of the labyrinth.  
The beast distracted, Barry slipped his hands into his pouch and pulled out the flint and steel.

Getting itself back under control, the Minotaur lowered the spear and cheerfully said, "C'mon, kid, let's get you back to the Lair."

When it reached out to grab his arm, Barry jerked back, clumsily attempting to arm himself with the torch. "Stay back!"

"Aw, kid, don't do that. I don't wanna have to hurt you." 

With an almost careless slash of the spear, the torch was knocked from Barry's hand. It sailed through the air and crashed into the wall. A long thin stinging cut slowly revealed itself on Barry's palm as blood welled up from previously unmarked skin. Ignoring the pain, Barry dove after the torch. It was his last hope of staying alive. He landed almost on top of it. He scrambled to strike the steel against the flint. The beast's hooves clopped leisurely after him. Sparks fluttered, but none ignited. He tried again and again, close to tears. He didn't want to die here. The tip of a spear was placed against the small of his back.

"Ready to give up, kid?"

Another last desperate strike caught the torch. The flame reared up, almost searing his face. Barry rolled away, the spear once more catching on his skin.

Taking the torch in hand, he swiped it at the beast, hoping to drive it off. The spear lowered. The beast stood unmoving, eyes fixed upon the flame. It was silent.

Cautiously, Barry stood. He circled the beast, who turned with him, keeping the flame in sight. It wasn't fearful as he had been expecting. It was hypnotized.

He scooped up his sword. The heavy weight felt awkward in his hand. He raised the blade and pressed the tip against the Minotaur's throat, a mirror of their previous positions. It would be so easy to drive the sword into the beast's throat. One thrust and Iris and Eddie and all of Crete would be safe from the Minotaur! Barry hesitated.

In the fire light, he could make out the scars across the Minotaur's torso. The skin was pale and shiny like melted wax. The scars seemed old, but a scattered few patches were rawer than the rest. Somebody else had tried to burn the beast and failed. Barry had the chance to succeed. If only he wasn't so weak of heart.

Maybe he could bring the Minotaur back out and let the guards kill it. Or maybe it would escape and Barry would be forever known as the fool who freed the Minotaur. He wished he could talk to Iris or Joe and ask them what he should do.

Barry was suddenly rammed into by something large and heavy, sending him to the floor. Barty yelped as he landed on his back, aggravating the wound. Sword and torch rolled out of reach. A man with bared teeth and eyes that glowed in the firelight held him down and pressed another sharp pointy object to his throat. Another person sweeped across the cobblestone with muffled steps and violently stomped out the torch. Darkness returned. The beast groaned.

"You good, Mick?" asked the man holding Barry down, annoyed.

"'M fine!"

"You let a Hero get the better of you?" mocked the woman who stomped out the torch.

"He's not a Hero!"

She laughed. "That's embarrassing, Mickey!"

"Get up!" ordered the man.

And Barry did, eyes wide and jumping between the three shadows. The two... humans? maybe? were helping the Minotaur, but why? How were they not eaten already? Maybe they helped the Minotaur hunt down other sacrifices in exchange for being kept alive. Barry couldn't begrudge them their choice, even if he'd never do the same. Being eaten alive was terrifying.

The man forced Barry around, so that he faced the darkness with his captors at his back. "Walk!"

Barry walked.

"Wait!" The man stopped them. He pulled the twine of Barry's belt. "What's this?"

"Looks shiny," commented the woman.

"Pretty sure it leads out of here," the Minotaur concluded.

"Well then, we can't take it back to the Lair." The man threw the twine away. Barry watched his only chance of escape disappear into the dark with hopeless eyes. It bounced across the ground with the clear clinking of glass. If Barry had managed to keep the twine, somebody could have followed the thread straight to the beast's lair. They could've slain it while it was sleeping. Barry might have been rescued. Was that why Jay had given it to him? To save him?

All light was now gone. Barry was encouraged to start moving once more even though he could not see a thing. How did his captors see where they were going?Could they see in the dark? Maybe Minotaurs could, but the man and woman weren't Minotaurs.

Barry squinted at the darkness ahead of him. Was it getting lighter? Or were his eyes actually adjusting to pitch black? They turned a corner and, yes, he could definitely say it was getting brighter. They must be close to the lair.

Barry swallowed, the cool metal of the knife became all the more threatening. Every step brought him closer to his death.

It didn't take much longer to get bright enough to make out fine details. The light was an unnatural rippling blue. The walls seemed to breathe, heaving in and out like a great beast, greater than even the Minotaur. Another turn and they came to a shimmering blue curtain. The woman stepped up and brushed it aside, revealing the Minotaur's Lair. It was a large cavernous chamber lit with floating lamps containing pulsing orbs, the source of the blue light. Plush carpets lined the ground, reminiscent of the rich tapestries Barry had seen in the king's castle. In the middle of the room was a large circle, bare of carpet, containing an empty fire pit. There was no furniture, only large thick pillows scattered carelessly across the floor.

The man pushed Barry to his knees onto one of those very pillows, close to the fire pit.Barry was relieved when the knife was finally removed.

The Minotaur disappeared into one of the many dozens of tunnels branching from the main hall. Each path was covered by another transparent fluttering curtain.

The woman stepped in front of him and crouched down, taking up his field of view. Her smile was large and bright, her eyes faintly mocking. "You came down here to kill Mickey, right?"

"I-" The question felt like a trap. There was no right answer. "Yes."

She snorted. "Well, at least you're honest."

"Why? If you're not a hero,you haven't got a reason to come down here," questioned the man, who stood just behind the woman.

"I had to. My sister's fiance, he was chosen. As a sacrifice. I couldn't..." Barry trailed off.

The woman was giving him a curious look.

The man leaned forward, his face coming into view over her shoulder. "What's the fiance's name?"

Barry considered not telling him, but quickly realized there was no point. It wouldn't take much for the man to figure it out. The whole city must know by now. "Eddie."

"Eddie what?"

"Thawne?"

The woman grimaced. "Shit."

"What?!" Barry could not keep the alarm from his tone.

"You wouldn't happen to know an Eobard Thawne, would you?"

"No? I've never heard of him before. Who is he?"

"One of your Eddie's relatives."

The man added, "Eobard Thawne's family members have been turning up dead recently under mysterious circumstances."

"You think- you think he's after Eddie?!"

The woman shrugged and stood up from her crouch. "Iris certainly thought so. Said old Eobard was trying to become immortal. According to her, the spell he used made it so he could only be killed by a blood relative or something."

"Iris?! How do you know Iris?!"

"She hired us."

"What?!"

"We're smugglers," explained the man. He was taking far too much joy from from Barry's bewilderment. "Our job is too fake people's deaths and get them off Crete."

"But-but the Minotaur?!"

"You got to admit, being eaten by a Minotaur is a pretty good cover. Nobody's going to check."

Barry jumped at a loud snort. Another man leaned against the wall near the tunnel where the Minotaur had gone. "They don't have the balls to come down here."

Barry didn't know how long the new man had been standing there. He was wearing a thick white fur coat that opened on a bare muscled chest. Barry fought a blush and looked away, wishing he was wearing a shirt.

Barry considered what the... smugglers? had told him. Had Iris really hired them to sneak Eddie out of the city to keep him safe from a murderer? Why hadn't she told him? If she had, he wouldn't have taken Eddie's place and ruined her plans. She'd told him not to. He should have listened to her. If Eddie died because of Barry's dumb hero moment, he would never be able to live with himself.

"Hey, Hero!" The woman snapped her fingers. "Where didya get the fancy thread?"

"Thread? Oh, the golden twine! It was given to me by a friend."

"Did that same friend tell you to bring a torch?" The knife man asked.

Barry winced. "Yes."

The man in the fur coat. "Your friend wouldn't happen to be Hunter Zolomon, would he?"

"Uhm, no? His name's Jay." 

Barry was once more distracted by the expanse of visible skin. This time he noticed the skin's strange texture. He choked on a breath when he recognized the Minotaur's burn scars on the man in the coat  
.  
The no-longer-a-minotaur frowned. "Jay?" He-it-he glanced at the other man. "You think we got someone else sniffing around?"

The knife man shook his head. "Could be working together?"

"Or," speculated the woman, "Jay could be an alias."

"Doesn't matter. This plan doesn't change. Not yet anyway."

"Uhm," interrupted Barry, "Who's Hunter Zolomon?"

"A cannibal." A darkly amused smile formed on Mick the Minotaur's face. He moved away from the wall to join the other two.

"Well, not quite," clarified the still nameless woman. "He 'devours' people's life force, just drains them dry. It gives him power. We helped one of his victims escape. As far as we can tell he knows she's still alive."

"So he knows what you do?" Barry couldn't keep the concern from his voice. 

He shifted uncomfortably. Even with the pillow, his knees were starting to hurt.

"No." The man started grabbing pillows. "He would have come into the labyrinth himself if he already knew. He's just as scared of Mick as everyone else." After haphazardly laying the pillows down, the man sprawled across them, looking indolently comfortable. Mick sat on just one pillow, leaning back on his hands with his long legs spread out in front of him. The position allowed for his coat to splay open even more.

The woman settled herself cross-legged on her own pillow. "Probably thinks Mick's keeping her alive for something else."

Barry squirmed at the insinuation, his gut roiling. He glanced at Mick. "So you don't actually eat people, do you?"

"Only during Taurokathapsia."

He was joking. At least, Barry thought he was joking.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Barry didn't know if he could trust them, but he trusted Iris and Iris entrusted Eddie's safety to them.

"I'm sure we can find something for you to do." The man smiled and held out a hand. "The name's Snart. That's Lisa, my sister. And you've already know Mick."

Barry shook his hand. "Barry." He nodded the other two. "It's a pleasure to meet you." 

He hesitated. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you tell me all this? Why... why didn't you just kill me on the spot?"

"Why didn't you? You hadthe time and the oppurtunity," Mick volleyed back.

Barry didn't know how to answer.

"Well," Lisa started casually. "We needed to know what you knew. Finding out your our client's brother changed things. It made you off-limits."

Barry laughed a little. It came out only slightly strained.

"You must tired," decided Snart, "Mick, why don't you get our guest settled."

Mick sighed. "I just sat down." He clambered to his feet and held out a hand to Barry.

Barry took it gratefully and tried to stand. His legs hurt, furious pins and needles burning up and down his calves. He would have fallen on his face if Mick hadn't caught him.

"Ow."

Lisa's mouth twisted. "You okay?"

"My legs are numb."

Mick huffed a laugh. "Why'd you sit so weirdly?"

"Shut up," Barry mumbled, flushing. Mick was solid as rock against him. He had difficulty picturing the monster that had scared out of his wits less than an hour earlier.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah, sure, just give me a minute." Standing felt awful. Barry shifted his weight from one foot to the other, waiting for the feeling to fade.

"Here, let me."

Barry squeaked as Mick literally sweeped him off his feet and into the man's arms. Barry clutched at Mick's neck to keep from falling.

Lisa tsked. "Mickey, really? Put him down."

"No, it's fine! I don't mind!" Barry was quick to reassure.

Mick smirked. "See, some people like being manhandled!"

"I've never been picked up before, so this is kind of a new experience for me."

"What?! You never got picked up as a kid?!"

"Mick," Snart warned.

"I... don't remember."

Mick grimaced. "Right, let's get you to your room, Hero!"

Barry was carried off with a flourish. Mick was careful going through doors, making sure to avoid knocking Barry's feet against anything, of which he was appreciative.

"So..." Barry stopped, not wanting his nosiness to get the better of him.

"So?" probed Mick.

"Never mind."

"Come on, just tell me!"

"Are you... just pretending to be a Minotaur?"

Mick paused. "No, the Minotaur's real."

"You don't look like a Minotaur right now?"

"My coat's magic. Snart got it for me."

"That was nice." What else could Barry say to that?

"Yeah, it was." Mick smiled unconsciously.

"So the coat makes you human-looking?"

"Yep. I've also got myself a nifty little nose ring if I wanna turn into a bull."

Barry laughed even if he wasn't entirely sure Mick was joking.

"And here we are!"

The room was small and mostly empty, with only a mattress resting on the floor. It was fitted with sheets and blankets and, when Mick lowered him to it Barry found it delightfully soft.

Barry thanked him.

"Don't worry about it." Mick grinned and was gone.

Barry but his lip to keep from calling him back. He worked the blood back into his legs as he tried to make sense of all the thoughts floating around in his head. He hoped maybe he could make it up to Iris for ruining her plan A. He also maybe hoped he could talk to Mick again. That would be... nice.


End file.
